Fuel reserve part of study

Published 10:30 pm, Thursday, January 3, 2013

Governor Andrew Cuomo presides over a cabinet meeting held Jan 3, 2013 at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Governor Andrew Cuomo presides over a cabinet meeting held Jan 3, 2013 at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN

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Jerome Hauer, Director of the NYS Div of Homeland Security and Emergency Services speaks during a cabinet meeting held Jan 3, 2013 by Governor Andrew Cuomo at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less

Jerome Hauer, Director of the NYS Div of Homeland Security and Emergency Services speaks during a cabinet meeting held Jan 3, 2013 by Governor Andrew Cuomo at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Skip ... more

Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN

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Governor Andrew Cuomo presides over a cabinet meeting held Jan 3, 2013 at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Governor Andrew Cuomo presides over a cabinet meeting held Jan 3, 2013 at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN

Image 4 of 6

Governor Andrew Cuomo presides over a cabinet meeting held Jan 3, 2013 at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Governor Andrew Cuomo presides over a cabinet meeting held Jan 3, 2013 at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN

Image 5 of 6

Governor Andrew Cuomo presides over a cabinet meeting held Jan 3, 2013 at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Governor Andrew Cuomo presides over a cabinet meeting held Jan 3, 2013 at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN

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Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to Dr. Irwin Fedlener, left and Ira Millstein Co-Chairss of the NYS Ready Commission after presiding over a cabinet meeting held Jan 3, 2013 at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less

Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to Dr. Irwin Fedlener, left and Ira Millstein Co-Chairss of the NYS Ready Commission after presiding over a cabinet meeting held Jan 3, 2013 at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. ... more

Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN

Fuel reserve part of study

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ALBANY — State officials should develop a strategic fuel reserve and standardize disaster response training for first responders and elected officials, two panels convened by Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday in a preliminary report.

The recommendations will be fleshed out over time, but the governor insisted on hearing broad strokes so they can be included in his State of the State presentation on Wednesday.

The commissions convened experts and looked for "actionable recommendations." While state law has required a different disaster preparedness commission to meet every two years since 1971, Cuomo said its mission was often ignored and brushed aside criticism that more should have been done before the storm struck.

Irwin Redlenner, a public health professor at Columbia University who co-chaired one of the commissions, said preparedness recommendations were broken down into supplies, training people and systems of command and control — which he said should be centralized.

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"The systems that were available in the '70s, '80s and '90s actually don't work anymore for what we're going to be seeing going forward," he said. "We're going to be seeing big disasters ... all of this is going to require a different paradigm on how we structure leadership and command and control."

Many of the recommendations seem obvious. The state should better position emergency supplies, and give National Guard troops additional training in using heavy equipment.

The commission recommended developing a centralized registry of vulnerable people — the elderly, the sick, the homebound — and a streamlined means of spreading information via text message. Due to privacy concerns, Redlenner said, such a system would have to be voluntary.

Cuomo most specifically embraced a proposal to require backup generators at some gas stations in "vulnerable" areas. It's unclear how that would be defined, or who would pay for the generators.

"I understand [the expense], but I also understand we need that capacity in vital areas and along evacuation routes," Cuomo said. "We'll have a specific proposal in the State of the State."